Data editing may be defined as procedures for detecting and correcting errors in so-called raw survey data. Data editing may occur during data collection if the interviewer identifies obvious errors in the survey responses. As a component of post-survey adjustments, data editing involves more elaborate, systematic, and automated statistical checks performed by computers. Survey organizations and government statistical agencies may maintain special statistical software to implement data editing procedures.

Data editing begins by specifying a set of editing rules for a given editing task. An editing program ...